What's the best GPS for this trip? Please help.

I use a Etrex Summit with a bicycle mount and a car 12V lead. I've added a 12v socket to the bikes fairing.
I used to use the basic Etrex (£100), but I like the electronic compass and barometer on the Summit (£200).
I use multimap.com to find where I want to go then input the Lon/Lat into the GPS. Saves buying all the maps to install. I also carry a map and compass as backup. )
I've been using GPS since the mid 90's and have found it invaluable when it's cloudy, dark or both at the same time.

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The Gypsy
Second star on the right.
Then straight on till morning.

We've used a Garmin 60CSx for the last two (cage) trips. Unfortunately, you are reduced to the absolutely appallingly poor Garmin base map (they want to sell the other map sets, but even then, they dont sell a good map set for mexico/C.A. But the reception with the new Surf III chip is so improved over older models, that there is almost no comparison. The power use has improved that now you can get almost 18 hours out of a new set of batts (more if you turn things off) instead of the 8 that is common with other units. (batt life on the websites is not reflective of actual use.)
Depending on how retentive you are about your GIS info (I am retentive) I have found that the only way you will actually be able to predict as many roads as possible in Mexico are to either spend a lot of money and purchase actual paper maps for the area that you are going in 1:50,000 scale and combine that with a guia roji, or purchase commecially available software and run it on your laptop- not really usable on a bike and extraordinarily expensive ($1000 US or more). We mapped large parts of the back roads in Merida using our 60CSx and were able to import to ArcGIS and use that later for our work. As for Further south, I havent seen much else down there, sorry for no more detailed information on that.

On a side note- XM radio works pretty well all the way down to Guatemala- you have to be further from mountains the further south you go (increased satellite look angle)

J

If your budget stretches to it, get a 276C - yes, it is a marine unit with a fab display but it can do automotive as well. Best GPS I've come accross and I had a few. (only 'down' side are garmin's bespokew emmory chips max at 512MB and expensive (about £75 on ebay)

Alternative, as has been said the 60CSX with a 2GB chip (cheap) and with the track set to save on the chip. Brilliant but small screen. Touratech do a very nice mount for it and power it from bike- It also has 2 batteries for planning-

Mapping worries ? well, at present although it cannot 'route', the info on it is light years ahead of garmin worldmap which really is very basic-
Go to Smellybiker and buy Bob's WANDERLUST map - you won't believe your eyes!
current version 1.6
Work in progress 1.7 which will also have Topo and routing
(hurry up Bob - what's taking so long?!!)

Err hope your joking about the hurry up bit .. I've made a few maps (vector) for teh GPS and they take time to get right .. and I've not done an autorouting one yet. I've only just sent him the names for most of the UK A roads .. and some tracks from my trip there .. and I'm only one contributor so he has plenty to do ..
I'd expect the routing if it come throught to be basic - Motorway set to say 80 mph, main A roads to say 50mph .. every thing elese ? well remainign A and B roads to 30 mph, remining to 20 mph? as a guess... way too much to set them to what they are as they change within a country let alone conutry to country .. and the map set will be huge in memory size too...
Think routing is a little too much at this stage .. maybe when there is more than one persone working on it .. and maybe it will requierr more than one per country too ... just considering the umm performace of things like Tracks 4 Australia and Tracks 4 Africa.. tends to be slow to update but more coverage .. no autorouting ..

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Regards Frank Warner
motorcycles BMW R80 G/S 1981, BMW K11LT 1993, BMW K75 G/S

I have been looking at the 276C (Euro 800,- complete) and the 60CSX (Euro 500) but I have seen that there are many secondhand Streetpilots 3 available on the internet marketplaces for around Euro 300,-. It seems to me that the Streetpilot 3 is older but has about the same posibilities as the 276C? Or does it not? Can anybody advise me on that?

cheers,
Noel
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